Posts
For the first time in five years,
HIV rates in Australia have increased significantly, according to leading
experts who warn that urgent action is needed to stop the spread of the virus.
On October 17, statistics were released showing that the number of new
diagnoses increased by 8 percent in 2011, and by 50 percent during the past 10 years.
David Wilson, the head of the Kirby
Institute's surveillance and evaluation program for public health at the
University of New South Wales, stated that NSW, Victoria, and the Australian
Capital Territory had driven the increase. "In these three states we have
seen quite a significant rise in the last calendar year," Wilson said.
Victoria experienced the biggest increase, but more people in NSW were
diagnosed as having HIV that they had contracted recently, as opposed to being
diagnosed after the condition had progressed. Wilson said it was unusual for
infectious diseases such as HIV to increase after it had been controlled.
"We thought we had at least reached a plateau about five years ago, but we
have not," he said. About 24,000 to 25,000 Australians live with diagnosed
HIV, but up to 10,000 might not have been diagnosed, Wilson added. The most
recent increase in the number of new HIV cases diagnosed—from 1,051 in 2010 to
1,137 in 2011— has been driven by increases among gay men, although there have been
increases in other groups in the past 10 years.
Experts attending the Australasian
HIV/AIDS Conference on October 17 will launch a plan, the Melbourne
Declaration, in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease. The president of
the Australasian Society for HIV Medicine, Edwina Wright, stated the
declaration included calls to remove restrictions on funding for medications
for people in the early stages of the disease and to speed up the approval of
antiretroviral drugs for the prevention of HIV in people exposed to it. Rob
Lake, the executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS
Organisations, urged Australia to introduce rapid HIV testing, in which results
are given within an hour, rather than a week, thus reducing the time people are
unaware of their infection. However, the license for this test has not been
granted yet.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
